FRANKLIN – If Franklin wants to create a more diverse supply of houses, then city leaders should lower the cost burden for renters, create greater opportunities for commuters to live in Franklin and plan for a housing supply that covers various stages of homeowners’ lives — from first-time homeownership to more senior-friendly housing.

Those are some of the findings of a new report released Wednesday afternoon by the city of Franklin.

Consultants at Denver-based BBC Research & Consulting began work last year on the study, seeking to learn what kinds of housing exist today in Franklin and who owns and rents that housing. In addition to statistical information, consultants sought input from residents and “in-commuters” — the people who work here but live elsewhere.

Here’s a sample of some of the findings and recommendations consultants will present to Franklin leaders:

• Create a greater range of housing prices by stiffening the city’s current affordable housing and workforce ordinance.

While the city’s housing market is among the fastest in Middle Tennessee, consultants say the affordability of housing has decreased for renters and potential homeowners. In the current market, the average Franklin worker making around $54,000 a year can afford 78 percent of the city’s rental units but just 11 percent of the homes sold in 2012 and 2013. Among the homes affordable to that worker, the report found, 58 percent are condos and town homes.

By forcing the creation of more workforce and homes earmarked as affordable, consultants say, the city could cut the number of commuters who come to Franklin to work but choose not to live here.

• Currently, more than 43,000 people have jobs in Franklin but live elsewhere, records show. That compares with around 17,500 people who live in Franklin but commute outside the city for work. Only around 7,800 both live and work in Franklin.

However, if housing prices continue to increase even as the city’s job numbers increase, Franklin leaders could expect to have as many as 12,000 more commuters by 2025, the report shows.

The current median home price in Franklin is $425,850, making the third consecutive month of median increases in Franklin.

Starter homes priced at less than $250,000 were the top need identified by renters who are residents of Franklin. Last year, just 15 percent of homes for sale in Franklin — totaling 273 detached housing units — were priced below $250,000. An additional 242 attached units were priced less than $250,000.

“The housing units to be develop in Franklin will have an impact on the economic diversity of the city and the ability of the city to house future workforce — or for the workforce to be restricted to in-commuting,” the report concludes.

• The city’s growth in the last decade has not changed the overall housing picture in Franklin. And, consultants found, there has been little change in Franklin’s homeownership rate, which is around 65 percent.

Residents report being “very satisfied” with living in Franklin, with the most common trade-off being that residents say they must pay more for housing than they would in other communities.

• Renters value living in Franklin and say they would buy homes here but they need more affordable houses, costing less than $250,000.

• Franklin homeowners believe Franklin lacks housing for seniors and people with disabilities and affordable rentals.

Consultants will meet with city and county leaders at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at Rolling Hills Community Church, 1810 Columbia Ave., to discuss the report’s findings.

Reach Kevin Walters at 615-771-5472 and on Twitter @thekevinwalters.

A full copy of the report can be found at http://www.franklin-gov.com/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=18995